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Bill proposing significant change in municipal zoning law awaits House action; Rose Law Group Founder and President, Jordan Rose, comments. “Legislation that would change the measurement of how many adjacent neighbors it takes to oppose a zoning case to force what is called a ‘legal protest’ at a city council is proceeding through the legislature.” Jordan Rose calls HB 2116 “one of the most impactful changes in land-use law in at least a decade.” Details on Rep. Bob Thorpe’s proposed legislation in Rose Law Group Reporter. http://bit.ly/2qT6xhR
Million-dollar home sales jump in metro Phoenix, but there are still deals for mansions. “Seven-figure home sales in the Phoenix area were up more than 30 percent in March from the previous year….Almost 330 Valley homes sold for more than $1 million during the first three months of this year… But sellers of Valley mansions still aren’t smiling that much about prices.” Find out why and check out a 39-photo slideshow of the “Top home sales in metro Phoenix in 2017” — at AZCentral. http://bit.ly/2ps4Jfi
KB opens entry-level community in South Phoenix. “KB Home plans to construct 77 one-story residences at The Enclaves at Santiago [‘near interstates 10 and 17’]. Builder calls the homes “stylish” and the design features “desirable.” Tap through for layout and pricing details. http://bit.ly/2pYK0Ba
Phoenix to vote on $500 million data center expansion. “[IO Data Center] wants to expand [its] $200 million data center campus at Van Buren Street and the Loop 202 freeway….The city council is considering a $359,000 outlay to do infrastructure improvements on that land and will vote on it at its May 10 meeting.” Find out how much additional input/output space IO seeks to add for $500M, in Phoenix Business Journal. http://bit.ly/2pnVM67
AHEAD OF THE CURVE – Changes approved for future Villago development. “Casa Grande [P&Z] approved changes… that will include… extending Trekell Road from McCartney Road to Val Vista Boulevard. The original plan called for Trekell Road to curve through the neighborhood and exit on Pinal Avenue.” Get info on more “changes sought by Communities Southwest,” plus view an aerial of the PAD, at Casa Grande Dispatch. http://bit.ly/2pUrbQY
No student housing appeal expected. “The 591-bedroom apartment complex… has been the subject of a Board of Adjustment and Superior Court case in the last year, with both entities ultimately ruling the building was acceptable in the existing zone. For now, all parties agree the issue has been settled.” In what reads like a post-Championship game interview from the losers’ locker room, this Arizona Daily Sun article features several appellants expressing disappointment over those rulings, even as construction of the Hub “has begun to move along quickly.” http://bit.ly/2qTMvVs
Corps of Engineers to hear permit case for South Mountain Freeway Tuesday. “The hearing… won’t slow down construction, the Arizona Department of Transportation has already stated.” So why the hearing and why now, when ADOT’s “13-year analysis was ‘the most extensive environmental review of any highway project to date in Arizona.’”? Read about it at Ahwatukee Foothills News. http://bit.ly/2qTzz1y
Experts weigh in: Positive jobs report fails to fix what’s wrong with housing. “Economists agree that the April jobs report proved the economy is moving along at a healthy pace… But when it comes to the housing market specifically, this positive report does little to help the factors that are really blocking growth in housing.” HousingWire gets input from Redfin’s Nola Richardson, Realtor.com® economist Joseph Kirchner (where’s Jonathan Smoke been?), Fannie Mae’s Doug Duncan, and First American’s Mark Fleming. A KEY QUOTE: “[T]he… pick-up in wages from a year ago is no match for the 8% year-over-year increase in national home prices…” http://bit.ly/2pnSBeN
Labor shortage squeezes builders. “Labor pressures are increasing… as hiring overall accelerates… Contractors throughout the country… are beginning to see shortages of electricians, carpenters and other subcontractor laborers….[Associated Builders and Contractors] said the industry needs 500,000 more workers.” The WSJ looks at the labor scarcity problem and what one company in particular is doing to deal with it. http://bit.ly/2qT4dY6
Forecast: Commercial real estate to grow modestly by 2019. “The ULI… Consensus Forecast… anticipates commercial real estate will see $450 billion in transaction volume in 2017 and 2018, and $430 billion in…2019 — figures above the historical average.” Says one survey respondent: “New supply in the pipeline along with higher interest rates are likely keeping real estate economists cautious, but more likely realistic as uncertainty about future growth remains a concern.” Get highlights from the Urban Land Institute report plus a link to the full forecast at RISMedia. http://bit.ly/2pdn7wm
Dealmaker BONUS: Building near Raiders stadium site has checkered, possibly haunted, history. “The vacant two-story building… is just north of the… planned stadium site… It’s been home to a Mexican restaurant, a strip club, a concert venue and a nightclub… It’s been set on fire and ripped apart by vandals…. It’s even (reportedly) had paranormal activity.” Read more about it and see if you can spot any apparitions in the 12-image (or is 13?) slideshow in Las Vegas Review-Journal. http://bit.ly/2qTqPbI
Rose Law Group hiring Part-time Legal Receptionist – http://bit.ly/2pOHQ71
As a supplement to the Dealmaker, we thought you might enjoy these articles!
‘Ransomware’ locks down prominent Providence law firm; Lauren Reynolds, a Rose Law Group litigator focusing on cybersecurity, says such ‘holdups’ becoming common. “An unknown person or group held a Providence [R.I.] law firm captive for months by encrypting its files and then demanding $25,000… to restore access.” Providence Journal has more on the Moses Afonso Ryan attack, along with details on the firm’s subsequent lawsuit against its insurer “for breach of contract and bad faith after it denied its claim for lost billings” resulting from the hack. Lauren Reynolds: “These types of virtual holdups are becoming increasingly common. Every company needs to have an affirmative plan to deal with these things so that their business is not held hostage.” http://bit.ly/2pUj2fC
USA and Canada Trade: Understanding the relationship. “[E]ach day, the two countries exchange a whopping… $1.7 billion in goods and services.” With an impressive, in-your-face “infographic” that “highlights numbers and tangible examples behind [the] lengthy relationship between the U.S. and Canada,”Visual Capitalist illustrates why “the two nations” are “such a good fit together.” http://bit.ly/2pZ0R6J
Old corporate tax cuts weigh heavily on Arizona budget. “The $9.8 billion state budget is being billed by Republican lawmakers and Gov. Doug Ducey as the best outcome given the money the state has to spend…. What’s not mentioned is the state might have had more money to spend had there not been a series of corporate tax cuts… half a decade ago that are still kicking in.” Economists weigh in on “whether those tax cuts… actually stimulated the Arizona economy or simply threw away needed revenues,” in this Howard Fischer report at Arizona Daily Star. http://bit.ly/2pX63Kp
House votes to limit charter cities. “The state House voted… Thursday to limit the ability of cities to ask voters for a sales tax increase to just even-numbered years, and only during the regular November election.” Capitol Media Services’ Howard Fischer looks at what’s behind this “new legal fight” and why “the legislation may be doomed from the start,” at Arizona Daily Sun. http://bit.ly/2psamtX
Former politicians fight for voter-proposed laws. “Grant Woods, who was a Republican attorney general, and former Phoenix Mayor Paul Johnson filed the paperwork… [seeking] to void a law that would make it a crime for initiative proponents to pay people on a per-signature basis…. [and] to quash [a measure that] requires judges to disqualify any initiative drive where there has not been ‘strict compliance.’” From Howard Fischer in Arizona Daily Sun. http://bit.ly/2qitLlr
O’Halleran urges careful review of national monuments. “U.S. Rep. Tom O’Halleran has written a letter to Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke urging him to carefully consider the cultural significance of national monuments during a 120-day review [a review which President Trump requested]…. In Pinal County, two monuments are included in the review: Ironwood Forest National Monument and Sonoran Desert National Monument.” PinalCentral. http://bit.ly/2qiory6
Cindy McCain addresses potential State Department role, says she won’t leave state. While Cindy McCain says that she has “no intention of leaving the state” for a role with the State Department, the wife of Sen. John McCain didn’t completely rule it out either, even joking that, “I hope it’s Ambassador to Fiji! That’s what I hope, that’s where I want to go.” More from last Friday’s interview with McCain at KTAR. http://bit.ly/2pXnN8q
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